Looking back on my posts made me sad. The last three years have been brutal. But I am slowly moving forward. I have done so much since September to move on past this grief. With the pandemic, it has been an Olympian feat! I have traveled with my recently widowed friend from Florida all the way up to Maine. Trying to paint away my sadness. I have often felt like a criminal escaping jail.
I haven't painted as much as I did before all of this happened, but I feel that my work is more meaningful or deep. I'm not sure if what has happened has anything to do with it or I am just growing, but I have had a major response from people and most of it is selling rapidly.
Painting is the only time when I feel like myself. I have to think about what I am doing, so I am not dwelling in the past. It is a relief. People stop by to look and have no idea what I've been through so I can have normal conversations. It gives me purpose and forces me to leave my home. I can paint without crowds so I don't have to worry about covid. I think the worse thing about the pandemic is that you have to hibernate from people and that is completely depressing to someone who loves to be social.
I can definitely say that art saves lives. It is saving mine... It has made me friends, paid my bills and kept my sanity,(for the most part). It forces me outdoors and comforts me. It has inspired me and humbled me.
